The Chester County Shakespeare Festival is an educational and entertaining event that brings together nearly 300 talented students from Chester County elementary, middle, and high schools. Each school is given 20 minutes to perform and adapt a Shakespearean production, provided it stays within the main theme of the original play.

The study of Shakespeare in Chester County's classrooms is an integral part of the language arts curricula. Annually, the festival gives students an avenue to share their Shakespearean passion and to perform before an appreciative audience. The audience is also entertained by a "Master of Revelry," where professional actors present facts about Shakespeare, his works, and life in Elizabethan England.

Although a festival and not a competition, individual and group awards are presented to students and their schools to recognize outstanding performances and special contributions to the stage. The goal of the festival is to cultivate a love of Shakespeare and theater in our students and to enrich the language arts curricula of our schools.

Each Shakespeare Festival will be held as long as there are a minimum of six schools. This guarantees that the experience is academically enriching and a valuable use of students' time.

For more information, please contact shakespeare@cciu.org | 484-237-5053.

The Chester County Shakespeare Festival is funded in part by a grant from: